Exactly. Tinpot medals and uniforms he hasn't earned the right to wear. If we heard about a country where the unelected head of state showered decorations and senior military titles on their children and they strutted around in all this gold braid and gongs we'd condemn it as the hubristic excess of a mad despot.

And most serving soldiers are quite happy to stand next to 'him or his dad'. They are our Commanders in Chief, the Colonels of the Regiment, the people we swore an oath to defend. Or would you rather your Armed Forces were hypocrites?

I don't think anyone would have a problem with Prince Philip wearing the medals he earned via his actual naval service, it is his offspring getting handed medal after medal and military uniforms they've not earned the right to wear. Prince Edward being the most conspicuous example.

Dp has one medal. For serving in the Falklands conflict. A bomb blew up in the compartment next to his on the ship and he nearly died. He managed to get off the ship and into a lifeboat but the lifeboat sunk and he had to climb back onto the sinking ship before being lifted off by a helicopter with all his burnt skin hanging off his back and arms.

He's got a great photo of him in hospital, Prince Charles sat on his bed talking to him. Dp said he's a nice bloke.

If we heard about a country where the unelected head of state showered decorations and senior military titles on their children and they strutted around in all this gold braid and gongs we'd condemn it as the hubristic excess of a mad despot.

If we heard about an unelected someone who told people how they think and what they do we'd probably condemn them as a mad despot.